Valve Designer Warns In opposition to Harmful Steam Deck Mod

Valve has fiddled with its personal gaming {hardware} through the years, however neither the Steam Bins, nor the Steam Controller, nor the Index VR headset have garnered the identical reward because the Steam Deck. Even within the period of the Nintendo Change, the Steam Deck is back-ordered into subsequent 12 months. One of many oft-cited benefits of the Deck is its excessive repairability and modding potential. Nevertheless, one in every of its designers is now warning in opposition to a newly common mod, saying it might trigger the console to overheat. 

The Steam Deck is actually a compact Linux pc that (kind of) suits in your fingers. Valve designed the {hardware} to be simply repaired, and it plans to make all of the components accessible for buy. That’s a nice departure from the usual 2022 method of constructing disposable {hardware} that’ll go within the trash in a number of years. Whereas the inside of the typical smartphone is little greater than metallic spaghetti, the Steam Deck has modding potential. 

The pcb seems to work pretty properly for adapting a 2242 m2 to the steam deck, it would not collide with something on the motherboard or put any further pressure on any cables. Nevertheless, it does make the warmth spreader bow a tiny bit. The again plate reassembled with out concern. pic.twitter.com/4j4LVbS0NG

— Stomach Jelly (@TheSmcelrea) June 21, 2022

A number of days in the past, a Twitter consumer posted particulars of a very attention-grabbing mod that entails swapping the 2230 mannequin SSD with a bigger 2242 drive. The 2242 kind issue is extra widespread, making it cheaper and simpler to bump your Steam Deck’s storage to a whopping 1TB — the system tops out at 512GB as bought from Valve. Whereas the mod is reportedly fairly simple, it’s not essentially one thing you must do, in line with Valve designer Lawrence Yang. 

Hello, please don’t do that. The charger IC will get highly regarded and close by thermal pads shouldn’t be moved. As well as, most 2242 m.2 drives draw extra energy and get hotter than what Deck is designed for. This mod could seem to work however will considerably shorten the lifetime of your Deck. https://t.co/Kmup7Zov13

— Lawrence Yang (@lawrenceyang) June 25, 2022

In keeping with Yang, this a part of the Steam Deck is just not the perfect space to be tinkering. The SSD is adjoining to a number of very toasty parts, for instance, the ability management IC. The bigger drive might draw extra energy, inflicting temperatures in that space to achieve unsafe ranges, thus lowering the longevity of the {hardware}. Yang says the impact may very well be “important.” The unique modder additionally notes that a number of the thermal pads should be eliminated to suit the bigger 2242 drive. Once more, that’s not a good suggestion in an space the place temperatures are already excessive. 

Let this function a reminder that even when a tool is constructed for tinkerers, that doesn’t imply each mod is a good suggestion. The Steam Deck begins at $400, and also you’ll have to attend months for a substitute in case you kill yours. At present, Valve guarantees transport on the very finish of 2022 for brand spanking new orders.

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